27 May 2025, NIICE Commentary 11062
Ridhika Basnet
Questions of a Hegemonic Transition have remained trending since the start of 2025. As China is finally showcasing its strengths to the world, the USA is confining itself to its isolationism. Several Debates have arisen, some still favouring the USA as the Global Hegemon, with its Military, Technology, and Economic authority, while some have pointed out that the Rise of China might soon surpass the US. This article will examine the status of Soft Power, as possessed by both the USA and China, in the light of recent events and discuss the significance that Soft Power shares in the current Global Scenario.
Soft Power
Joseph Nye conceptualised Soft Power, which, according to him, is the ability of one State to influence desired outcomes on another through the use of persuasion and attraction and not force. In the Current Global Scenario, Soft Power has immense significance. In the era of Interdependence, States are tied with invisible chains of dependence with each other. This, however, pushes certain policy decisions beyond the national lines. States need the agreement of other States to further their goals more often in the current international framework, and using force or payment is a subject that is always under scrutiny. Israel, for example, is under immense international pressure to subdue its military actions in the Gaza Strip.
Nye had also emphasised that the Soft Power of the USA added to its traditional strength and thus contributed to its Unipolarity, as the Cold War ended. In the current Global Context, however, China has been seen extending its Soft Power, adding to the overall Chinese Rise that has been the talk of this century, with its Economic, Military, and most importantly, Technological Upscaling. The USA has given up its major sources of Soft Power, which has created a situation of a Soft Power transition, in which China seems to fill in, naturally.
China's Soft Power Boom
China’s Strengthening of its soft power is evident as per the sixth annual Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, China has risen to become the world's second most influential soft power nation, surpassed only by the United States. However it wasn't a sudden upsurge for China. Hu Jintao introduced "cultural soft power" in 2007, linking it to China's rejuvenation, at the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. He later stressed strengthening public diplomacy, humanities diplomacy, and cultural exchanges to promote China's culture globally. Chinese Confucius Institutes, spread around the World, have significantly worked to disseminate the Chinese Language, Culture, and a non-Western narrative popularising China for its Historical and Cultural Grandeur. As of 2023, there are 496 Confucius Institutes and 757 Confucius Classrooms spread across more than 160 countries worldwide. Furthermore, China leverages Education as a Diplomacy Tool, with University Partnerships, Scholarship Programs, and internationalization of Chinese Universities via the English Language.
China furthers its Cultural Diplomacy through its Film industry, video game industry, as well as its Media. According to the BBC, “China is the largest media market in the world, and has the world's largest online population.” Where “outlets operate under tight Communist Party control”. Chinese Media reaches the smartphones of people far beyond its borders through Chinese Digital Platforms like TikTok. During the recent US-China Trade war, Chinese influencers were seen to use social media platforms to advertise Chinese goods, bypassing US Trade Policies.
China’s Technological mastery around AI, through DeepSeek, Renewable and Green Technology, and its Telecommunication Industry has also boosted its Global Image. Through its Digital Silk Road initiative of 2015, China is involved in providing Digital Infrastructure, building Smart Cities, and cooperating on Cross-border E-Commerce Services to 17 countries in 2021, as per a report by the Cyberspace Administration of China; however, other estimates suggest more numbers.
The Chinese BRI Project, though criticised for debt traps, has expanded to around 149 countries as of May 2025, thus linking China economically with more than half of the nations in the world. The BRI Project engulfs other connective projects like the Green Silk Road, Health Silk Road, and Polar Silk Road, which enhance the nature and reach of Chinese engagements in the world.
America's Waning Influence
As China is getting Global, the USA, under Trump’s presidency, following MAGA policies, is shutting itself out from the World. The USA adopted internationalism after World War Two, and emerged as the Global Hegemon, winning the Cold War against the USSR. Down the years, the USA developed a Right Winged Nationalism, led by Donald Trump, as immigration increased in the USA. Trump’s Policy Actions Under the “Make America Great Again” Campaign, with which he won the Presidential Election, have brought down America’s Soft power, while China is ready to fill the void.
Trump started with Prioritising American Interests and thus entered a New American Isolationist Phase, which was America’s Historical Foreign Policy Philosophy, before it emerged as a Superpower. However, the isolation is in conflict with Trump’s Hawkishness, mainly towards Iran. A renewed approach of prioritising America’s National Interest led to the USA’s withdrawal from International Commitments like, Paris Climate Agreement, the Iran Nuclear Deal, the World Health Organization, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, following a rather Transactional Diplomacy.
Trump’s Policy Actions are marked to be Unpredictable, creating a sense of distrust towards America. America’s International Trade Tariffs have also added to rifts between America and its Traditional partners. American Political Polarizations, Abortion Laws, and Immigration Policies raise questions about its Liberal and Democratic Image. In March 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the USAID freeze, where 83 percent of its programs have been officially cut. USAID operates in more than 100 countries, promoting development through programs of economic, healthcare, human rights development, and much more. Trump's decision to freeze USAID has generated questions on the current status of America’s Soft Power, as several opinions tilt towards America’s Soft Power Decline.
Recently, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's authorization to enroll international students, a move that would affect around 6,793 international students, forcing them to transfer or leave the US. has also affected America’s Educational Diplomacy. However, the case is ongoing, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the order, allowing Harvard to continue enrolling international students. Trump’s Unpredictable Policy moves have deteriorated the image of America from its Stable, Exceptional, and Democratic Grandeur and have in several ways altered the status of American Soft Power. “Does this degrade American Cultural Hegemony?” or “redefines the American Soft Power into a new form?” are still questions, unanswered.
Conclusions
Soft Power is a significantly emphasized aspect of a Nation’s Power. The Chinese, on one hand, are extending their Cultural, Educational, Diplomatic, and Economic reach through the world, on the other hand, the Trump Administration in America has been criticised for demolishing the Soft Power Hegemony that America enjoyed for several decades. However, America still ranks first in the Global Soft Power Index, and China still faces controversies of the fake, edited narratives of the CCP Government. Importantly, significant changes are being noted that might change the status quo, and a New Global Order might be around the corner.
Ridhika Basnet is a Research Intern at NIICE & she is currently pursuing her Master's in International Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru, India.
